Worth A Thousand Words

Hello my family and friends. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I am not sure who “they” are but the following picture has a lot to say so keep reading. I want you to study the picture closely before moving on down the page. There will be a lot you will want to remember. 

Praise God!

This is a normal day at Happy Church, the campus church of Happy Horizons Children’s Ranch (HHCR) and the local church for those in our Bunga community.

Here is what you may not see:

1) The far left in a light blue shirt is our young preacher for today. He grew up at this Ranch and now is finishing bible college with the desire to be a pastor. His education here at the Ranch was provided by BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge). The reason he was able to be raised at the Ranch his whole life is because of supporters like you. 

2) The group of people to the left are Happy Horizons kids (less than half, this is all that would fit in the frame).  These children have come here because they have been trafficked, orphaned, abused, or have an older sibling who was a victim of the former and were removed from the ‘parent/guardian’ for their own safety. There have been countless prayers offered for the Ranch kids and countless dollars given to maintain their livelihood from supporters like you. 

3) The group to the right are the community people who attend faithfully each week. Many of these families are also apart of our MoM (Mission of Mercy) outreach program that helps their child get an education along with meeting many other needs. Almost all the kids in this picture are touched by MoM, and in turn have learned about the love of Jesus Christ. MoM is a “child sponsor” program that ministers to the basic needs of children with food, clothes, and money for education. This ministry is funded by generous supports like you.  

4) Up-front and center is our dance team with a mix of Ranch kids and community kids. The two dancers in the back (closest to the stage) are from outside the Ranch. These two have been coming to this church most of their young lives. One is in college on a scholarship from MoM. The other is not only being sponsored by MoM, she is now a teacher of one of the age groups in our MoM Saturday program (basically a kids church with over 200 kids. We use the same area in the above photo for this program, that is why it is on Saturday). These young ladies are “living the life” because a supporter like you was able to reach out to them using MoM to teach them the love of Jesus Christ.

5) On the stage is our worship team using instruments paid for by STL (Speed The  Light). We use these instruments at every event and service. A church service to over 100 people would be very difficult without these vital ministry tools. The same instruments paid for by STL allow us to effectively minister in our Saturday morning MoM programs (that is our kids’ church) and minister in our youth services every Sunday afternoon. The worship team is composed of mostly Ranch kids but there is one adult who is also a “house parent” (meaning he is an employee of HHCR). He is able to take care of his wife and two kids as well as be a ‘parent’ for the Ranch kids because of supporters like you donating to HHCR.

6) Hanging off the stage are banners proudly paid for by the locals who take pride in their home church. Each banner is decoratively declaring glory to God. The local people would have a very difficult time trying to pay for the use of such a quality facility on their own, without the help of supporters like you. So they do what they can to show their appreciation.  

7) The whole church area; stage, stage lights, chairs, roof, and floor was provided by supporters like you. The men that were able to come and construct the facility where able to work and earn money to provide for their families because of the financial giving of supporters like you.

8) The upper level of the white building in the background is Happy Horizons Academy (HHA). The school was provided for by supporters like you. The school materials: school books, notebooks, pens, pencils, and erasers where provided by BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge). The teachers, computers, school uniforms, and desks where all paid for by BGMC. All the Ranch kids attend HHA along with some of the HHCR Alumni’s children. HHA gives the kids a quality education foundation that will allow them the opportunity to build a productive life as an adult. 

9) The lower level of the white building in the back ground is the Ranch cafeteria. This cafeteria serves 3 meals a day every day to the kids, staff and any local workers that are working for the Ranch that day. One meal feeds 70 - 80 people. Thats roughly 225 meals in one day; 1,575 meals a week; 6,300 meals a month; 75,600 meals a year. Every meal is paid for by supporters like you!

10) From the clothes the Ranch kids are wearing to the very possibility of them being able to live at HHCR is because of people like you, who love enough to give support. 

11) The reason there is a Ranch at all is because Missionaries Glenn and Nancy Garrison obeyed the leading of the Lord. Local churches like yours and people like you continue the prayers and financial giving to keep this ministry changing lives all day, every day of every week.

12) This picture was taken by a camera paid for by a supporter like you. And I, John A. Williford took this picture because during this worship service God showed me this idea of a picture being worth a thousand words. I would not be here if not for the prayers of supporters and the financial giving of the faithful followers of Jesus Christ. I think maybe God wanted you to see what it is your prayers turn into. Maybe God wanted you to see that your giving makes a life-changing difference. Your prayers and your financial support are making a life-changing difference in a small community, in the jungle-covered mountains, on the island of Cebu, in the middle of the country of the Philippines. 

We serve a great big God. He is worthy of our praise. I hope this picture inspires you to praise the holy name of Jesus. This picture is not a picture of the glory of what “man” can do but of what God can do. These people here are praising the Lord because they are in love with the Master. They are grateful for all the prayers, all the giving, all the support. But they know it was not “man” who provided for them, but God. God uses people to bless people. He deserves all the glory, all the honor and all the praise. 

The young preacher in the blue shirt told me a great little saying “You can praise anyone, but only God deserves our worship.” Give God the Glory today!

(Oh and the word count was 1,240)